10 Ways The X-Men Films Nearly Turned Out Very Differently
4. No Mutants - The Wolverine
In 2010, Darren Aronofsky was hired to direct The Wolverine. Due to family concerns, he left the project, and was replaced with James Mangold.
Although Aronofsky's film would've still taken place in Japan, he intended to strip away as many superhero elements as possible. His script worked more like a Spaghetti Western or a "Kurosawa Wolverine" rather than a comic book adaption. His version would be a standalone movie, meaning there would be no reference to the X-Men. Because of this, the subplot of Logan dealing with the trauma of killing Jean Grey was absent.
The word "mutant" wouldn't be mentioned, and the titular character would be the only person with superpowers. Viper would still serve as an antagonist, but would kill people with venomous pellets rather than her internal poisons.
When Aronofsky left, the script was tweaked so it incorporated more comic book elements. (You probably noticed this since the finished film contains a ten foot robot samurai.) However, it seems Mangold took Aronofsky's vision into account for the sequel, Logan, which was directed more like a Spaghetti Western rather than a superhero flick.